Furnace



Dec. 27, 1927.

U. WEDGE FURNACE Filed Feb.25. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l /i/c me 6 Q 14 7 I'D/DYE Y relented Dec. 27, 1927.

UNITED STATES U'ILEY WEDGE, or rAoLI, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE.

Application filed February The present invention relates to furnaces in which a bed of ignited fuel supported upon a. generally horizontal annular rotating grate is supplied at the rim of the fuel bed with fresh fuel, which, together with the fuel bed. is crowded radially across the grate by a volute or helical wall and dis charged at the other rim of thegrate.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an efficient yet simple and therefore comparatively inexpensive construction for suclia furnace. Another ob ject of the invention is to provide for the utilization of the considerable heat developed by the combustion of fresh fuel and more particularly of the volatile constitu' cuts thereof at and in the neighborhood of the volute or helical wall.

Other objects of the invention will appear so from the following descriiition at the end of which the invention will be claimed but the invention will be first described in connection. with the embodiment of it chosen from among other embodiments for the sake of illustration in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof and in which- Figure l is an elevational view partly in central section, of a furnace embodying features of the invention. i

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line .22 of Fig. l with parts omitted.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and illustrating a modification, and Fig. it is a sectional view. taken on the line 4t-4 of Fig. 8.

Referring to'Figs. 1 and 2, l is an annular grate providing. a central ash discharge openingQ, and having an upturned rim 8. 4: is a voluteor helical combustion chamber wall operating insubstantially the plane of the grate to impel the fuel bed radially across the grate to the discharge opening. This volute or helical wall alsooperates to feed fresh fuel delivered at the root 5 of the helix or volute in substantially the plane of the fuel bed radially inward fromthe rim towards the center. It may beremarked that the dash and dotline 6 in Fig. 2 is concentric with the axis of rotation of the grate and is put on the figure merely to facilitate an explanation. 7 is a feeder for delivering fresh fuel at the root 5 of the spiral, and it is shown as doing this through an opening 8 provided in the fixed volute or helical wall.

5 9 is a closure for the discharge opening 2, and it is adapted when in the position shown 25, 1925. Serial No. 11,390.

to exclude the passage of blast and to retain ashes on the grate. The closure 9 may be opened for which purpose the ring 10 is available, and, when it is opened ash may pass through the opening 2. 11 is a wind box shown as stationary and it is arranged under the grate and receives ashes when the closure S) is opened. The wind box is adapted to receive ashes and to discharge them as at 12, and it is adapted to contain the blast for which purpose a fluid seal is shown at 13. The blast is introduced at 14. is av spider turnably mounted at 16, and it carries the grate l, and is revolved by the worm wheel 17. The shirt 18 depending from the grate maintains the fluid seal while permitting the grate to slowly revolve. 19 is a deflector and 20 indicates a device which n'iay be provided to assist in the removal of ashfron'i the floor 21 of the wind box. The diameter of the opening through the'floo'r 21 through which the spindle of the spider passes is quite small and therefore the escape of blast is readily prevented.

In use when the fire is burning under draft, the closure 9 is in the positionshown in Fig. 1, and fresh fuel delivered at 5 is crowded into the fuel bed supported upon the grate, by the helical or spiral form of the wall a, which also impels the fuel bed horizontally across and toward the center of the grate, or, more accurately, toward the closure 9. It may be said that combustion takes place in generally horizontally disposed concentric zones,tl1e top of the fuel bed being generally level and the Zone of gas evolution and consumption and generally. thehottest zones being in the neighborhood of the wall 4. Atthe center the ash may be quite cool. An economy in theutilization of heat may be effected by construct.

mg the wall it, or more accurately, the major portion of it hollow and utilizing the hollow space 22 as a water leg of the boiler 23. It may be remarked that the space between the 11p 3 and the exterior of the boiler Wall is sufficiently tight by reason of the accumu lation of a little fuel therein. y The construction and mode ofoperation of the modification shown in Fig. 3 aresub stantially the same as in Fig. 1 with the following exceptions: The wind boX 24: is attached to and rotates with the grate so that the fluid seal is not present. The wind box is provided with gates 25 for retaining the blastwhen closed and for discharging ashes when open. Thus the gates are accessible from the exterior of the furnace of which the boiler is supported as by legs 26. Removable ash receptacles 27 are seated upon the auxiliary air box 28, the top of which extends upward in the form of a neck 2-9. The sp1nthe 30 of the grate is revoluble in a bearing 81 carried by a spider supported, by the neck, and the spindle 30 is connected with the floor of the wind box 24; by a spider 32, which includes a perforated hood 33. To the spindle is connected a Worm wheel 34 which serves to slowly revolve the spindle 30, the wind box 2st, and the grate 1 as a unitary structure. Blast supplied at 35 passes as indicated by the arrows when thecap or closure 36 is in the position indicated in Fig. 3 in full lines. The dotted lines indicate the position of the cap when ashes are being removed through the openings of the gates Q. The cap 36 instead of being operated by means of a poker or other hand tool, as in the construction of Fig. 1, is carried at the end of a rod 37, endwise movable through the spindle 30, and operated by a handle 38, through a shaft 39, having an arm 40 connected with the red by a fork and collar connection. ,lVhen filled the ash receptacles 27 may be removed and emptied and again replaced.

The voluteor helical wall 4 serves to eiiec heat exchange between the fire, and the medium, water or air, heated by the furnace. To this end the volute or helical wall is attachcd t-o or made part of the chamber for the medium to be heated. The temperature of tlie'helix is therefore lowered by the me diunr whichis heated by the helix which in its turn is heated bythefuel bed, and thus over-heatingof the helix is avoided. -The lower edge of thehelical wall is thin to avoid undue fraction. and 1t is advantageous to limit its heatby making the helical wall,

whether solid or hollow, comparatively a heat exchange element between the fuelbed and the medium to be heated by the furnace.

The element 23- broadly considered, is a hood enclosing the combustion chamber above the grate, and the bottom of the hood is helical in shape or form.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which theinvention relates that modi fications may be made in details of construction and arrangementwithout depart ing from the spirit of the invention which is not limited as to those matters or astoi matters of mere form or otherwise than as the prior art and thefappended claims may require. i i

I claims 1. A furnace including a rotating annular grate having-a central discharge'opening, a volute combustion chamber wall arranged above the grate to impel the fuel bed radially across the grate to the discharge opening, means for delivering fuel to the grate, acclosure for the discl'iarge opening in the grate and adapted to pass ash and to exclude blast, a wind-box arranged under the grate to receive ashes upon opening oi the closure and which is provided with means for discharging ashes and is adapted to pre vent air leakage, and a blast connection to the wind box.

2. A furnace including a rotating annular grate having a central discharge opening, a volute combustion chamber wall arranged above the grate, means for delivering "Fuel to the grate, a wind box carried by the grate and provided with gated ash openings, :1 fixed auxiliary wind box communicating with the first mentioned wind box by a. neck providedthereon, a spindle turnably mounted in the neck and carrying the grate and the wind box attached to it, a cap Lao-operating with the grate opening and with the neck, and means ar 'anged through thespindle for operating the cap.

3. A :Eurnace including a rotating annular grate having a central discharge opening, a volute combustion chamber wall arranged above the grate, means for delivering fuel to the grate, a wind box carried by the grate and provided with ash opel'iings, means tor introducing air to the wind box, and devices for oj'iening and closing the discharge opening of the grate and the ash openings of the wind box.

i. 'A furnace including a rotating annular grate havinga central discharge opening, a volute cou'ibustion chamber wall arranged above the grate. means for delivering fuel to the grate, a wind box carried by the grate and provided with ash openings. a hollow neck through which air is supplied to the wind box, closures for the ash openings,a

cap for the grate opening, and means arranged through the neck for operating the cap'to control the grate Ofifllllllg' and the air outlet of the neck.

In combination with a furnace compris ing a rotating annular grate with a central discharge opening for ash, a volute combustion chaniliier wall, means for feeding fuel .to the grate and an airbox located below the grate, means for opening and closiiig the opening in the grate center adapted to permitaud prevent the discharge of ashes from above and to preventfthc escape oi? air blast pressure through the opening when UTLEY lVEDGE.

. closed. 

